11-05-2025
Top university pledges to make curriculum more Scottish to help combat snobbery
The university has tried a range of methods to try to reduce 'snobbery'
CLASS-LESS Top university pledges to make curriculum more Scottish to help combat snobbery
A TOP university has pledged to "Scottish-ify" its curriculum as part of its latest effort to tackle snobbery and prejudice against Scots students.
The University of Edinburgh has faced ongoing criticism following claims that Scottish students are subjected to taunts and snobbery regarding their backgrounds.
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The University of Edinburgh has come under fire over snobbery against Scots students
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The university is looking into teaching Scottishness on the curriculum
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There have been claims Scottish students have been mocked for their accents
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The student-led Scottish Social Mobility Society has previously claimed that working-class students from Scotland are frequently patronised and ridiculed, leaving them feeling demeaned and reluctant to participate in tutorials.
The society has also reported that some students are mocked for their accents, their attendance at state schools, and are shunned because of their social status.
In response, university leaders have stated that Scottish identity must be "embedded" into the teaching syllabus to challenge stigma and bias surrounding accents.
Professor Colm Harmon, who oversees student welfare, said that both staff and students would benefit from learning more about Caledonian culture and history.
He told The Sunday Times: 'We are doing really, really good work … on decolonising the curriculum.
'We haven't given the same amount of thought to Scottish-ifying the curriculum.
'Maybe that's something we should do.
"It ties back to us being proud of the contribution this university, this city, and this nation have given to the world and shouting about it more loudly, but also embedding it in the experience.'
Currently, first- and second-year students at Edinburgh are offered additional credits if they complete optional courses in topics such as sustainable development, healthy eating for people and the planet, understanding gender in the contemporary world, and social responsibility.
Professor Harmon continued: 'Should we think about having an additional course that expressly embraces Scottishness and Scottish culture?
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I think that's a really exciting idea, and we should consider doing that.'
The economics professor, originally from Dublin, also noted that there was a sense of 'diluted Scottishness' on campus.
He added: 'Being in Edinburgh should be a deep cultural immersion in hearing lots of accents, including Scottish ones.
'If they are the meekest or quietest voices at the University of Edinburgh, then something has gone wrong.'
In response to the allegations, the university has previously hosted a conference aimed at tackling 'accent snobbery.'
Additionally, university leaders had issued guidance on addressing "socioeconomic microaggressions," highlighting how certain behaviours may make others feel "unwelcome" based on their financial background.
The guidance offered straightforward advice to wealthier students. It read: 'Don't be a snob!
'When you meet new people, be curious about their interests and aspirations rather than their backgrounds.
'Don't assume that everyone's life or family is like yours.'
'Try to undo some of the unhelpful mythology about the relationship of wealth to intelligence or hard work.'
The claims have even prompted the student union to try and recruit a widening participation officer to make working class students more welcome.
